Schwab: Marmion football's Krueger does his due diligence

Marmion quarterback Brock Krueger and his family didn’t shortchange the recruiting process.

Krueger estimated that between himself, his father, John, and Marmion football coach Dan Thorpe, “thousands” of emails were sent corresponding with colleges during the past couple years.

“It was a team effort between my dad, coach Thorpe and I, and I couldn’t thank them enough,” Krueger said.

The trio can finally give their fingers and keyboards a break now that Krueger committed to Wisconsin-Platteville on Wednesday night. Krueger visited Platteville last month, and the Pioneers emerged as a clear favorite.

“Platteville, I just got a feeling I couldn’t go wrong there,” Krueger said. “It was probably the best recruiting trip I’ve ever had in the last three years, two years. I talked to [coach Mike Emendorfer] and he said a lot of great things and definitely got me on the board from the beginning.”

Krueger said he considered walking on for Division I, Football Championship Subdivision I programs Southern Illinois or South Dakota State, and he also made a visit this week to one of Platteville’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals and perennial Division III national powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Krueger was impressed with Whitewater but also relishes the opportunity to carve out a winning identity at a less-established program.

“It was definitely something to think about,” Krueger said. “I definitely put a lot of thought into it because the way I saw it, I could either join a program that already wins championships and kind of be like everyone else that has won championships or I could go to Platteville and try to do it for the first time and try to win the first national championship for them. That was more special for me, to try to be the first one rather than be the sixth one. And I felt I have to beat the best to be the best.”

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Krueger shared snaps as a junior before emerging as the Cadets’ full-time starter at quarterback as a senior, helping lead Marmion to an IHSA Class 6A playoff berth.

A prospective business major, Krueger thinks his mobility will serve him well as a college QB.

“When you get into pressure situations, you have to get out of it, roll out of the pocket, but you keep your eyes downfield and deliver the ball,” Krueger said. “At the end of the day, if you can extend plays and do everything the right way, I think that’s going to give you the most success.”

Krueger doesn’t play a winter or spring sport, so he’ll focus on football workouts and school in the waning months of his time at Marmion.

Having spent as much time exploring options as he did, Krueger learned a lot about the recruiting process and thinks it resulted in a thoughtful decision.

“You have to have the right feel for it,” Krueger said. “You can’t go through it with a closed mind thinking I’m only going to be a Division I player. For me, it ended up being Division III, and that’s probably the best thing that ended up happening because I believe in the coaches, they believe in me and it was a mutual trust, and that’s the best feeling you can get from a school and from a coaching staff.”

• Jay Schwab is sports editor of the Kane County Chronicle. He can be reached at 630-845-5382 or jschwab@shawmedia.com.